Not Alone
by Cleone
Summary: The Hyuuga clan was dead. Now the only person she had to turn to was the one who shared the same experience...unless, of course, the older Uchiha brother decides to intervene. SasuHinaIta love triangle.
1. Chapter One

**Warnings: Sasu/Hina. Don't like it? Well guess what? DON'T READ IT, DUR!**

**Not Alone**

**Chapter One**

It seemed like just another evening. The golden sun was sinking behind the horizon and the sky was done up in brilliant shades of reds, oranges, and purples. Just another beautiful summer evening.

Hinata packed up her kunai and dusted off her jacket. She was very proud of herself because she stayed behind to train extra, and now she was extremely worn out. It took almost all of her remaining strength just to pick up the stray kunai on the forest floor.

After a few moments, Hinata was finally ready to go home. She let out a deep sigh and started down the forest path, already planning on what she was going to do when she got home.

'First, a nice hot bath. Then, a nice cup of tea and then straight to bed.'

Hinata walked silently down the sidewalk, an eerie feeling starting to rise in the pit of her stomach. There was nobody besides her on the streets. It was absolutely silent. Hinata shivered slightly.

'Strange…maybe there's a big celebration indoors or something.'

She felt a bit relieved when she saw one other person out: Sasuke. Hinata never really liked or disliked Sasuke. They were just acquaintances, people who would never dream of becoming closer than friends. Sasuke looked up from the sidewalk and right at Hinata. They both stopped right where they were at and simply stared at one another. Hinata gulped and blushed slightly.

"Um…hello," she said quietly.

Sasuke frowned. "Hmph."

He simply brushed past her and was on his way. Hinata stood still for a moment before finally moving again. Things had always been awkward between them. There was no way they could ever even become friends.

Hinata walked slowly down the sidewalk, the eerie feeling growing ever stronger. Something was not right. Something was wrong. _Very _wrong.

As she turned the corner into the section of the village where the Hyuuga clan lived, she gasped. The lights were off. Everything was dark. And there was the stench…

…of blood.

Hinata moved her tired body quickly down the sidewalk. 'Oh my god, oh my god…'

She turned another corner….and wish she had just stayed in the forest.

The clan…had been murdered. Bodies of familiar members were littering the streets, kunai in their backs, blood pouring from their now dead bodies. Some even had their head missing, and the rest of the body brutally attacked. Kids, teens, adults…no one was spared.

Hinata was frozen. This wasn't happening. This was all just a nightmare. Soon her father would come and gently shake her awake, telling her that she would be late for training if she didn't get ready soon. Soon she would see all her friends from the clan, her team, everyone, and everything would be good again.

But no…this was very real. Too real.

Hinata backed up slowly, tears flowing down her face. She turned around and did the only thing she could think of doing: ran.

'Run…'

'Run…'

Run…'

**A/N: Please forgive me for the shortness. This is kinda just a prologue so…yeah. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, even if they're bad.**


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: (jaw drops) Oh my goodness! I'm absolutely floored by the number of reviews I've received! I thought that I'd get maybe ten at the most for the first chapter. Thanks everyone!**

**Not Alone**

**Chapter Two**

He would have never guessed that the girl he hardly knew would almost be exactly like him. He would have never guessed that the same thing could happen to other people. He would have never guessed…

That his path would cross into hers'.

The house was quiet, just like it had been for the last ten years. The screams of agony and smell of fresh blood still hung around the plain, white walls. Caged in these walls was the survivor, waiting for the right moment to strike and avenge the clan. It was lonely, but loneliness was what he wanted.

Sasuke sat still on the cold, concrete porch step, staring into the deep blue night sky. This was how he usually spent his evenings. He wanted to spend as much time as he could outside of his house. It held too many terrible memories. On the porch, Sasuke would think, remember, and sometimes even cry.

It was lonely, but loneliness was what he wanted.

Sasuke sighed deeply and leaned back. If "that" event hadn't occurred, what would his life be like? He often wondered about that.

'For starters,' he thought, 'I wouldn't be so angry. This bubbling rage inside me would be non-existent. I'd be happy with lots of friends and a loving family, being goddamn happy 24/7. Hell, I might even have had a girlfriend…'

His thoughts trailed off. No, love was absolutely, positively pointless. Love would just get in his way, preventing him from reaching his life goal and fulfilling his purpose on this planet.

It was lonely, but loneliness was what he wanted.

Sasuke stared off into the starry heavens. "Love…"

Off to his right, he heard footsteps. Slow, dragging footsteps. Tired footsteps. Footsteps of a person who had just seen something awful. Sasuke snapped his head to the side and leered into the darkness. No one had come by here ever since the incident, so who would now?

Sasuke quickly stood up, his heart beat quickening. He squinted his eyes but couldn't see anything in the dark. He would just have to wait until it came to him.

Seconds seemed like hours as Sasuke waited on that porch step. But finally, the owner of the footsteps emerged. The girl dragged her feet across the dirt, her hand held over her heart and heaving sobs erupting from her chest. She had been running. Running from something terrible. Sasuke stared at her.

"Hi-Hinata…" He whispered.

Hinata stopped in front of his house and slowly turned her head to look at Sasuke. Her bottom lip was shaking and her cheeks were stained with fresh tears.

"S-S-Sasuke-"

Hinata's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she crashed onto the ground. Sasuke stood still. This was oddly familiar…

It took him a whole minute before his mind processed what had just happened. Sasuke shook his head and sprinted off the porch to the unconscious girl. He bent down next to her and lifted her head.

'She's seems okay…'

Sasuke gulped and looked into her pale face, which was wet from crying. He knew tears better than almost anyone in the village. He cried them almost every night until he went to sleep. Sasuke lifted his hand up and stroked Hinata's cheek slightly.

"What could've happened," he said quietly as he continued to caress her face, "that would put her into this state?"

Sasuke frowned as he realized what he was doing. He quickly pulled his hand away as if he had just been bitten by a snake.

'No!' He reminded himself. 'Don't do that!'

"But I have to do something," he whispered. "I can't leave her out here…alone."

Sasuke slipped his hands under Hinata and lifted her up. She was very light for her age. He looked at her face once more before carrying her up the porch stairs and into his house. He brought her into the living room and carefully set her on the couch.

"Sorry." Sasuke said to the unconscious Hinata. "You're gonna have to stay down here."

He turned on his heel but immediately turned back to the girl. He wanted to move, he really did, but there was some force that was attracting him to her. Sasuke bit down on his lip. He could so easily just take her up to his bedroom and sleep with her that night. The thought of another's body heat sounded so welcoming. He hadn't had that feeling in years. Oh how nice it would be to share a bed with another…

…

"Hmph."

Sasuke once again turned away from Hinata and began walking out of the living room. It was lonely, but deep in his heart he knew…

That loneliness was the absolute last thing he wanted.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: Man, it's been more than a month since I've updated this fic! I'm terribly sorry!**

**Oh yeah, one more thing. It has come to my attention that there is another fic with a plot very similar to this one. PLEASE NOTE THAT I DID NOT STEAL THE PLOT FOR THIS STORY! IT'S QUITE COINCEDENTAL THAT THERE IS A SIMILAR FICTION OUT THERE LIKE THIS ONE! THANK YOU! **

**Not Alone**

**Chapter Three**

Oh how she wished that events of the day before were just some terrible nightmare, some sick concoction that her mind made up just to frighten her a bit. The scenes of her family's and friends' dead, lifeless bodies, covered with blood and their own innards flashed through her mind like a sick horror movie throughout the night, haunting her dreams and causing her body to shake and shiver.

This was real. _Too _real.

Finally, the morning came. Hinata kept her eyes closed, not wanting to move from this comfortable cushion that she was rested on. She wanted to stay like that, not face the day with the knowledge that she would have to do everything on her own now without the support of her family. Maybe if she laid there long enough without opening her eyes…she would just die like the rest of the clan. And that would be it. Boom! The Hyuuga clan would be extinct, gone from the face of the earth forever.

Hinata's eyes slowly blinked open. Where she was, she had no idea. Who had saved her…that would be interesting to find out.

Her eyes adjusted to the light and she looked around the room. From what she could tell, it was a living room, with blank, white walls, a small lamp placed on a glass table, and the white couch she was currently lying on. Everything was just so…_white. _

"So you're finally up."

Hinata snapped her head to the left, her heart pounding wildly against her chest. She hadn't even heard any footsteps!

Sasuke leaned against the wall. "Sleep well?"

Hinata blinked a few times and held her hand up to her forehead.

'That's right,' she thought. 'I fainted right in front of Sasuke-kun's house.'

Hinata looked back at Sasuke and blushed lightly. He was wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist and another towel draped around his shoulders. Sasuke looked down and raised his brow.

"Sorry. Not used to having company around."

Hinata gulped. "S-Sasuke-kun, did you save me?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't leave you knocked out in front of my porch."

"Oh…"

Sasuke turned her back to her. "Gotta go take a shower. You probably should, too. Hell knows you need one."

Hinata flushed and looked down at her dirt covered shirt and sweaty pants. "I-I'm sorry."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hmph." He disappeared around the corner.

Hinata sighed and plopped back down on the couch. "Wonder where I'll go now…"

She felt tears sting her eyes. This couldn't be real. It was impossible! One moment she was perfectly happy and the next her family was dead? That was simply impossible! She was only a teenage girl. There was not much she could do on her own.

Hinata wiped her eyes and looked around the blank room again. "I wonder where Sasuke-kun's family is…"

She had often wondered what Sasuke's family was like, and maybe now she would get a chance to meet them. The Uchiha were known for being a skilled and noble clan of the village, and Hinata thought about what they would be like.

'Maybe like Sasuke-kun: stand-offish and a bit mean…and good-looking…'

Even Hinata was surprised at what she was thinking. She shook her head, feeling her face redden once again.

'Did I just think that Sasuke-kun was _good-looking?_'

Right at that moment, Hinata heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Sasuke was once again in the living room with her, except this time fully clothed. He crossed his arms.

"Before I let you do anything else in my house, I must know: what happened last night?"

Silence hung over the room. Hinata blinked and felt her body start to tremble. She didn't want to talk about it, to relive that awful scene in her head. It was just too much. And besides, why should Sasuke know? It wasn't like he could help her.

Hinata gulped. "The-the clan…my family…"

She looked at Sasuke and he gestured to her to continue. She took a deep breath and her eyes once again began to water.

"-is dead. The clan is dead."

Sasuke stood there in shock. The Hyuuga clan…dead? That was just…impossible.

"And you're…the only one who survived?" Sasuke asked in a shaky voice.

Hinata nodded and buried her face in her hands, her body shaking with sobs and tears falling on the floor. Sasuke stared at her. It couldn't be…there was no way that there could be a person that was in the exact same position as him, a person who knew the horrors of loosing their entire family.

Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry…" And he hesitantly added, "I know how you feel."

_I know how you feel…_

Hinata suddenly became angry. He knew how she felt? Yeah right! That was total bullshit! How would the pretty little perfect boy know how it felt to have your entire family murdered?

"You don't know how I feel…" Hinata said between gritted teeth.

Sasuke's eyes turned to slits. "And how would you know that?"

Hinata glared directly at him. "BECAUSE YOU'RE THE LITTLE PRETTY BOY AND YOU HAVE A PERFECT _LIVING _FAMILY AND EVERYONE LOVES YOU!"

Hinata covered her face and continued crying. Sasuke took several deep breaths and tried not to get angry with Hinata.

'Remember, she just lost her family,' he told himself. 'You remember that feeling, too."

Sasuke slowly walked to the couch and bent down next to her. "Your stomach got scraped last night when you fainted. Let me bandage it for you."

Hinata slowly looked up. She had never seen that look in Sasuke's eyes before. It was so…caring and gentle, a nice change from the coldness that usually resided in them. She bit her lip and nodded. Sasuke got up off the floor and disappeared up the stairs. Hinata brought her knees up to her chest.

'I shouldn't have yelled at Sasuke-kun like that. He is helping me and taking a lot of time out of his day just for me.' She looked up the stairs after Sasuke. 'And we don't even know each other that well.'

A few moments later, Sasuke returned carrying a roll of white bandages and a tube of ointment. He sat behind Hinata and cleared his throat.

"Um, I'm not trying to be perverted, but…" He blushed lightly. "You'll have to take off your shirt."

Hinata blushed as well and twiddled with her fingers nervously. "Oh…okay."

Hinata felt Sasuke's shaky hands at the edge of her shirt. He slowly pulled it over her head and laid it on the ground. Hinata shook slightly and her heart beat faster as she looked down at her stomach. Sasuke was right. There was a pretty good sized scrape that ran from under her right breast all the way down to the edge of her pants.

'I didn't know I fell _that _hard.'

Sasuke took the lid off the tube of ointment and squirted some of the contents onto his finger. He hesitated for a minute before reaching his hand around and running the finger down the scrape. Hinata yelped.

"Sasuke-kun, your hands are freezing!"

"S-sorry."

Sasuke ripped off a piece of the bandage and started to wrap it around Hinata's stomach, being very careful not to touch her chest. From what he had heard, you could get arrested for just touching a woman in that particular area.

Sasuke tied the ends of the bandages into a little bow and leaned back. "Done."

Hinata reached for her shirt. "Th-thank you very much."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment before grabbing the shirt out of her hands. "Uh, it's really dirty. You shouldn't put it on."

Hinata turned around and stared at Sasuke. "So I'm supposed to sit here only wearing my _bra_?"

"Why not?" Sasuke blurted out.

Hinata sighed and turned back around. "Sasuke-kun…I'm really sorry that I yelled at you."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Oh…oh, that's okay."

The room became quiet again. Hinata stared down at the floor and decided to ask Sasuke the question that she had been wondering about all morning.

"Sasuke-kun…where is your family?"

Sasuke's body became rigid. He stared at Hinata's back, silent, until he got up off the couch and walked out of the room. Hinata stared after him.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun!"

"I'll get you a blanket," he called back. "You need to rest."

**A/N: Yeah…even I'll admit that this chapter was kinda all over the place. Sorry. (smiles innocently)**

**And one thing I'd like to talk about is the fact that in this fic, Hinata isn't aware that the Uchiha clan is dead. Now, for the sake of not getting reviews about this issue, I'll discuss it here. If you remember in episode three of the series, Sakura didn't know that the clan was dead and got quite a good lashing from Sasuke about it. So I'm thinking 'Maybe the kids of the village don't know this fact'. And that, my readers, is my explanation. **


	4. Chapter Four

**Not Alone**

**Chapter Four**

Sasuke lay in his bedroom upstairs while Hinata peacefully slept on the couch. He stared out the window and sighed. Grey storm clouds were gathering in the sky and the wind whispered quietly against his window. Sasuke remembered how when he was younger and had to deal with dark, stormy nights all on his own, crouching in the corner, whimpering, with his knees pulled up tightly to his chest and saying a silent prayer that he would make it through the storm.

"And even though there is another person in the house, I still hafta go through this alone," he mumbled.

'_Then why not go down to her,'_ said a little voice in the back of his mind.

"'Cause she's asleep and it would just be weird," Sasuke said out loud.

'_Ah, you know you wanna!'_

"No!" Sasuke argued with the voice. "She's just a girl, nothing more! Why should I care?"

'_Because this is the first time in nearly nine years that you had another person in the house.'_

"So!"

'…_I can see that stiffy…you like her…'_

Sasuke sat up. "Oh shut up!"

He looked around nervously, feeling stupid and hoping that no one had heard him arguing with himself. He breathed in deeply and scratched his head.

"Fine, I'll go check on her."

Sasuke hopped off the bed and slumped out of his room and down the stairs as quietly as he could. He tip-toed into the living room and stared down at the couch. His heart leapt and he felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. The voice spoke up once again.

_'Isn't she just so…fuckable?'_

Sasuke couldn't argue with the voice there. Hinata really was a pretty girl, even when she was asleep with her hair tussled and her mouth open…and not to mention with an almost bare chest…

Sasuke felt a spark of heat in his lower stomach that went straight to his crotch.

_'Even avengers get horny…'_

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Sasuke mumbled, his hands quickly covering the front of his pants.

He stared at Hinata for another moment, hesitant, before bending down next to her. Her breath…her smell…just her _beauty…_were intoxicating. Did she have this effect on every guy?

Sasuke leaned closer. "She sure has the effect on me…"

Right at that moment, there was a loud knock on the front door. Sasuke jumped and quickly stood up.

"God! Who visits people at this time of night?"

Even though it was hard to keep quiet while being a bit peeved, Sasuke managed to make it to the front door without waking up the sleeping girl. He wrenched the door open and stared outside frowing.

"My frickn' god, Dobe! What are you doing here!"

His teammate stared right back at him, an obvious sense of anger and annoyance around him. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.

"Have you seen Hinata?"

Sasuke felt his heart plummet. So people realized that she was missing…

"No," Sasuke quickly lied, shifting his position in front of Naruto so that he had no chance of seeing Hinata.

Naruto raised his brow. "Are you sure? We were supposed to have lunch together yesterday, but she didn't even show up."

Sasuke gripped the door and suddenly felt a surge of anger course through him. That was right…Hinata liked Naruto. She had liked him for as long as Sasuke could remember. The way she gaped at him and blushed whenever she was around him…it never bothered Sasuke before, but for some reason, it really did right at that moment.

_'Don't let Dobe take Hinata away from you! Make her yours!"_

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "I have no clue what you're talking about. Never come to my house again."

And he slammed the door right in Naruto's face. Sasuke took several long, deep breaths to try and calm himself down and turned around. The dark figure on the couch was sitting up now, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest.

"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata said quietly.

Sasuke slowly walked over to the couch and bent down next to her again. Without thinking, without hesitation, he bent forward and kissed Hinata lightly on the forehead. She gasped.

"Just get some sleep," Sasuke said quietly, getting up and turning away from her.

As he climbed back up the stairs, the voice spoke up for the last time that night.

_'You don't like her…You **love **her."_

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?"


	5. Chapter Five

**Not Alone**

**Chapter Five**

All of Hinata's dreams that night were littered with visions of her and Sasuke. One was about the two getting married and going on a hot, steamy honey moon (even though she didn't like to admit it, Hinata did find that dream rather enjoyable) and another included her tying up Sasuke to a tree and commanding that he be her slave for the rest of his life or she would give him a nice, hard spanking.

But there was one dream that Hinata didn't not find very entertaining…

_She was back in her own home. Everything seemed perfectly normal; just another day in the Hyuuga residence. The surroundings were untouched, the atmosphere laid back and pleasant. Yes…normal…_

_Suddenly, the air became think and foggy. A putrid smell along with thick, red liquid rushed onto the floor: blood. Fresh, new blood, straight from a corpse. And then...there he was. Standing right in front of Hinata, wielding a huge axe and a maniacal grin on his face was…Sasuke. _

Hinata sat straight up on the couch, her heart pounding and a nice layer of sweat covering her forehead and hands. She held one hand to her mouth and the other on her racing heart. Oh god, were all of her nights doomed to have nightmares about the clan's murder? Was she going to wake up every night drenched in sweat and her heart going at 150 miles an hour?

Hinata shuddered. "And will I have dreams about the only one I can trust killing my family?"

She laid back down, trying to calm herself. Yes, Sasuke was upstairs, still sleeping and unaware that the other inhabitant in the house had just woken up from a dream involving him murdering her. There was no possible way that Sasuke was even going to _think _about harming her…right?

Hinata smiled to herself, her heartbeat going back to its regular rhythm and the sweat fading away. Of course Sasuke wouldn't hurt Hinata! He saved her. He took her in. And…Hinata touched her forehead.

He kissed her. Even though it was only a peck on the forehead, it was still a kiss nonetheless, and when you kiss someone, it means that you care for them…right?

Hinata sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Oh, I'm so confused…"

The only thing she knew was…Sasuke was driving her _insane_. He always seemed so stand-offish and mean and nasty and horrible, but why was he treating her, Hinata of all people, totally different? Why was he showing compassion and trust and (heaven forbid) _love _to a girl he knew almost nothing about? What was his goddamn problem?

And Hinata answered her own questions. _Because they were the same_. They were alone, isolated from the rest of the world, misjudged…they were in the same situation. They knew each other's feelings, they knew the tears that they cried, they knew what it was like to have your family living one day and the next to be totally alone in this world and with the feeling that you were going to _die _that way: lonely, forgotten, unwanted.

'So in other words,' Hinata thought, hugging her knees tighter. 'He doesn't love me. He _pities _me.'

Hinata let out a small yell of frustration and leapt from the warmness of the couch onto the cold floor. She was going to see him. Right now. This very instant. She didn't care that it was three o'clock in the morning, she was going to march right up those stairs and see Sasuke because if she didn't, she would go even crazier.

Hinata tip-toed out of the living room, down the hall, and up the dusty, wooden stairs. Her footsteps echoed all the way down the stairs and she prayed that Sasuke wouldn't wake up because of it. She made her way quietly down the carpeted hallway to the open door at the end of the hall. She didn't know for sure that this was his room, but it was worth a shot.

And Hinata got lucky. Sleeping peacefully on the bed in the corner of the room was Sasuke. Hinata bit down on her lip and carefully made her way to the bed, making almost no noise at all. She sat down on the floor, propped herself on her knees, and looked at the boy.

Oh man, if the girls of the village thought he looked good awake, then they obviously hadn't seen him in his sleep. He was, to put it simply, gorgeous. His pale complexion gleamed almost mystically in the moonlight and his black, raven hair was so sexily ruffled that Hinata wondered why he didn't keep it like that during the day. His mouth was just barely open and his breaths were coming out even and peaceful. Sasuke was so vulnerable in his sleep…

Hinata looked at her knees, blushing. So here she was…with Sasuke.

'So why am I here again?' She asked herself, feeling more like an idiot with every passing second.

Hinata snapped her head back up to get another look at the boy. Oh god, his face looked like that of an angel…his hair was perfectly messy…and his lips, oh his lips looked so soft and…delicious.

Hinata trembled as she lifted her finger and brushed his lips lightly. Sasuke didn't stir. She breathed in deeply, leaning forward. She knew she couldn't, but she just had to…

Suddenly, Hinata snapped back, taking her hand quickly away from his face. What was she thinking? If she kissed Sasuke, the girls of the village would hate her. Hell, if they even knew that she was _living _with him, they would both be in trouble. Then Sasuke would get mad at Hinata and hate her and never speak to her again…and, secretly, that was one of the last things Hinata wanted to happen.

She stood up and slowly backed away from Sasuke.

"Goodbye, Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

And she turned on her heel and ran out of the room, out the front door, and into the deserted streets of Konoha, her breaths coming out harsh, her heart beating wildly, and silent tears pouring down her face. She didn't want to leave him, oh no, but it would be better for the both of them. Sasuke's fan club wouldn't pester him and Hinata wouldn't become so obsessed with him that they'd both get annoyed.

Hinata sniffled and slowed down around the corner. Where she was going, she didn't know. She just had to get away from him…

Suddenly, a hand wrapped itself around Hinata's mouth. Hinata's eyes widened and she tried to scream, but a hard blow hit her in the head and everything went black; she was unconscious.

The lone figure lifted Hinata onto their back and went off into the darkness without a second glance.


	6. Chapter Six

**Not Alone**

**Chapter Six**

Hinata groaned softly as her eyes blinked open, the back of her head throbbing painfully. She hissed and her hand shot up to her head. She felt a warm liquid trickle down her neck and onto the back of her shirt: blood.

'What…'

Hinata blinked slowly and took in her surroundings. She was sitting in the corner of a dark room. The only piece of furniture was a large table sitting in the middle of the room, and the only source of light was a small window across from where Hinata sat. The moon was shining brightly outside; it was still nighttime.

Hinata gulped and felt her heart pound against her ribs. This wasn't Sasuke's house…

She sighed deeply as she remembered the night's events: running away from Sasuke's house, turning a corner, and being hit over the head. But that still didn't explain where she was or how she got there.

Hinata tried to get up, but was immediately pulled back down to the cold, wooden floor. She looked down at her chained-up hands and her heart throbbed even harder. So it wasn't some nasty molester who had taken her here. She was here for a reason.

Hinata jumped as a door to her right creaked open and yellow light flooded into the room. She held her breath, swearing that her heartbeat could actually be heard, as a tall, dark figure entered the room. The figure looked down at her and scoffed, sharp teeth glinting in the light. Hinata felt as though she was about to faint.

"Neh, Itachi-san, it looks like the girl is awake."

Hinata continued to hold her breath as another figure entered the room next to the first one; this was obviously the 'Itachi-san' the first man had mentioned. For some reason, Hinata shivered. Ever since the second man had come into the room, there seemed to be a dark, depressing feeling in the air. Hinata didn't like it one bit.

"Kisame," said a cold voice that belonged to the one known as Itachi. "Leave us."

"But Itachi-san-"

"Go. Now."

The first man (Kisame, right?) glared down at Hinata and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The other man, Itachi, bent down in front of Hinata. A shiver ran down her spine once again and her breath left her mouth as a small gasp. His face was almost as pale as the moon outside and his dark hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. The part of his appearance that stood out the most was his eyes: redder than freshly drawn blood. But for some odd reason, this strange man that Hinata had never seen in her life looked somewhat familiar…

Itachi smirked and touched Hinata's cheek lightly with his cold fingertips. Hinata whimpered and pressed her back against the wall. The way he touched her…she didn't like that either.

This guy was bad. Really bad.

Itachi brushed Hinata's bangs behind her ears and leaned forward. "Hinata-sama, am I correct?"

Hinata nodded slowly, not wanting to know how he had found out her name. She had heard from some shinobi that if you told the truth, you might be able to escape with your life in a situation like this. So she decided that she was going to answer anything this guy threw at her truthfully.

The smirk on Itachi's face had not left. "Hyuuga Hinata-sama, correct?"

Hinata once again nodded. Itachi pulled his hand away from her face and rested it on the floor. She sighed, relieved that he wasn't touching her anymore.

"So…the clan is dead, yes?"

Hinata didn't respond for a moment, anger rising up inside her. This bastard…what did he know about the clan?

Itachi's eyes squinted. "Answer me, girl."

Hinata nodded, not taking her eyes away from him. "Yes, the clan is dead," she said in a shaky voice. "What do you know about it?"

Itachi's smirk seemed to become broader. "What do I know about the great Hyuuga clan's death?" He asked softly, getting off the floor and walking across the room to the window. "I know everything about it."

The anger in Hinata's body reached an all-time high. This sick bastard…he was the one! He was the one who killed the clan!

"You bastard!" Hinata screamed, not caring that she was in a room with a very dangerous man. She pulled at her chains, wanting to rip Itachi into shreds and feed his remains to homeless mongrels. "Why, why?" Tears began streaming down her cheeks. "God damn it, why!"

Itachi turned away from the window, the moon reflecting in his crimson eyes. He stared silently at Hinata, and their eyes remained locked for several minutes.

"Hinata-sama," Itachi said as if she hadn't had that sudden outburst. "Do you know a certain…Uchiha Sasuke?"

'Wh-what?'

Hinata blinked several times. The question was so off-topic, so unexpected, that it caught her off guard. Why would this sick man want to know such meaningless things, such as if Hinata knew Sasuke?

'Sasuke-kun…'

Hinata's heart throbbed with pain. Just thinking about Sasuke at the moment was rather painful. What she would give to be back in his house, staring at him while he slept…

"Yes," Hinata answered quietly. "I know Sasuke-kun."

Itachi nodded, that same sickening smirk returning to his face. His footsteps echoed throughout the room as he made his way towards Hinata and kneeled down in front of her.

"My foolish little brother is the whole reason why you're family is dead, Hinata-sama."

Hinata took a sharp intake of breath. Brother? This man…he couldn't be related to Sasuke. Yeah, Sasuke could be a bit of an ass sometimes, but he wasn't _evil_.

Hinata shuddered. "And why is that?"

Itachi chuckled and once again touched Hinata's face with his tainted hands. "By killing the Hyuuga clan, my brother would feel some sympathy towards you. He'd take you in and become even more goddamn weaker than he already is." Hinata opened her mouth but Itachi kept speaking. "You'd think that killing an entire clan would be hard, no? For a normal weakling, yes, it would be difficult. But one whose emotions have been completely depleted…" He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "It's one of the easiest things to do."

Hinata gasped and slapped Itachi's hand away, shivers running throughout her entire body. "M-murderer!"

Itachi smiled. "Perhaps…but this way it will be easier to get rid of the rest of that filthy clan."

Hinata shook her head, more fresh tears pouring down her already wet cheeks. "I-I don't understand…"

Itachi leaned forward so that Hinata could feel the killer's own heartbeat. "You're a very pretty woman, Hinata-sama. I'm not surprised that my little brother started falling for you."

Hinata gasped as she felt his hands snake around her back. She tried to pull away, but the chains wouldn't allow her to do so. The sick bastard would just keep touching her like that.

Itachi continued. "So if I take my brother's woman away, there's no doubt that he will go searching for her. And then-"

Hinata burst into tears. Oh god, he was planning to kill Sasuke, his own brother! If Sasuke actually fell for the trap…oh god, Hinata didn't want to think about that.

Itachi pressed Hinata's body against his own. "And then, after I kill that foolish boy, I will make you mine."

"Huh?"

Hinata's eyes widened. Well, that was certainly unexpected. She thought he'd say something about killing her, but 'making her his'? What the hell?

Itachi pressed her harder against his chest and stared deep into her eyes. "You will bear me a child and we will make a new, better Uchiha clan."

Before Hinata could say anything, Itachi ripped the chains off her hands and lifted her from the floor.

"Hinata-sama, you will never see Konoha or my foolish brother ever again. You are coming with us."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Not Alone**

**Chapter Seven**

Sasuke wasn't quite sure what had waken him up that night. Maybe it was the fact that his bladder was full, or the fact that he had had a can of soda with an extremely high sugar content an hour before going to bed. But the thing that had interrupted his slumber was a strange, uneasy feeling, as though something had gone missing…

Sasuke sat straight up in his bed and rubbed his bare arms vigorously. Something definitely wasn't right. Why was he feeling so uncomfortable and nervous? Nothing out of the ordinary had happened before he went to sleep, so what could possibly happen in the middle of the night, when the rest of the normal population of Konoha was sleeping soundly?

A shiver found it's way down the boy's spine. He had never felt this way for a long time: fear, anxiousness. The only time he had felt these when was that bastard brother of his killed off the entire clan. God, these feelings he had at the moment were almost consuming him…what was wrong?

And that's when the light bulb went off in his head.

"Hinata!"

Sasuke jumped off the bed and slammed his feet onto the cold wooden floor, feeling a layer of sweat gather on his forehead and a tidal wave of nervousness crashed down on him. If anything had happened to Hinata…he didn't want to think about that.

'Please, dear god, let her be okay.'

He ran down the stairs and skidded on the floor. He all but jumped into the living room, breathing fast. The couch was empty and the blanket was in a messy heap on the floor. Sasuke felt his heart plummet and gulped loudly. She wasn't here…oh god, she wasn't here.

Sasuke trembled and cleared his throat. "H-Hinata?"

No answer. Sasuke raised his voice.

"Hinata?"

Again no answer. Sasuke's body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Hinata!"

He ran down the hallway and slammed the front door open, letting the cool night wind blow through the house. The snow-white moonlight parted through the clouds and shined down on the front porch steps. Sasuke's heart pounded as he gazed down on the steps and stared down at the small piece of paper rustling in the wind. He snatched up the paper and with blurred eyes, read it:

_I've taken her…foolish little brother._

The nervous feeling in Sasuke's body was immediately replaced with strong hatred and anger. He almost couldn't believe it. It had to be some joke, right? It was just too perfect. Itachi had taken away his family, and now Hinata? Oh, this was just too good.

But he knew that this was real. Very real.

Sasuke crushed the paper in his palm and did his best not to yell out in frustration and anger. His teeth gritted together and animosity swam like blood in his body. That bastard…that fucking bastard!

White moonlight shone in the now crimson Sharingan eyes of the young Uchiha as he curled his hands into tight fists and felt blood run down his palm.

"Itachi, you sick bastard," he hissed. "I'll make you give her back if it's the last fucking thing I do."

* * *

Hinata wiped her tear-stained face with the back of her hand and glanced out the window of the small bedroom. It had been about two hours since Itachi had kidnapped her and, along with his partner, took her to this small roadside inn. The fear in her body had weakened, but not enough to allow her to make a move to escape. These men were dangerous.

Hinata rested her chin on the tops of her knees and sighed sadly. So no matter what, Itachi was going take her virginity. There was no getting out of that. She wouldn't put it past him to rape her if she put up a fight. When he had said that he was 'going to make her his', he sounded genuinely serious. If there was a choice between being sanctified and dying, it was obvious what Hinata would choose.

Hinata ran her finger down the wood paneling. 'But if I were pregnant with his brother's child…oh, Sasuke would hate me. I could never go back to Konoha and see him if that happened.'

She shook her head to hold the tears back. What was she supposed to do? Either way, it was a lose-lose situation. She could attempt to run away from Itachi, but that would lead to an immediate death. If she stayed, well, she could never go back to Konoha and she would be carrying the child of a murderer. Oh goody.

There was only one way out of this situation.

Hinata' s shaking hand found it's way to her holster and touched the cold metal of a kunai. She pulled the kunai out. Slivers of moonlight were reflected in it and she could see her own scared face. Suicide would be better than dying at Itachi's hands or never going back to Konoha and having to endure bearing a child at such a young age. Hey, maybe if she actually went through with this, she'd be able to see her family again.

Hinata gulped and held the kunai to her bare wrist and was about ready to cut through the unprotected flesh, saying a silent goodbye to the rest of the world…

"What are you doing up at this hour, Hinata-sama?" A voice hissed in her ear.

Hinata shivered as she felt Itachi's warm breath on the back of her neck and his hand slither up to her shoulder. She gripped the kunai, still holding it above her wrist, and gritted her teeth.

"I'm not staying," her voice shook. "I'd rather die than become yours."

Itachi chuckled. "Is that so?" He sniffed her neck and licked the skin, causing the girl to yelp. "You're still a virgin."

Hinata tried to regain her composure, the kunai slipping from her trembling hand. "I don't care if I die that way either."

The man dug his nails into Hinata's shoulder. "But I do," he whispered. "If you die, my plan will fail."

Hinata shifted, trying to pry Itachi's hand off of her. "So what do I care? I hate you."

Itachi slammed her back against his body and rested his head on her shoulder. "I don't care if you hate me. But I'm not going to let you die. Not when you still radiate cleanliness from your untainted body." He backed away. "And Sasuke should be on his way right about now. Oh, that will be a pleasant reunion."

Hinata's body shook with anger, her fear melting away. "I don't care what you do to me, but don't you dare do anything to Sasuke-kun!"

Itachi laughed a cold, mirthless laugh. "I will be the one to decide what I do, Hinata-sama. And by the way…" He stared into her face. "If you attempt suicide again, there will be consequences."

He stared at her for another moment before retreating to the opposite corner of the room. Hinata held one hand over her mouth and the other quickly put the kunai back in its' holster. So there was no way out. She'd be this man's slave for the rest of her life. Hinata looked back out the window, where the fingers of red and gold dawn were reaching out across the sky. She sighed and curled herself into a ball.

'Dear god, Sasuke-kun. Please don't take his bait.'

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, back in Konoha, Sasuke was standing at the front of the village's main gate, all his kunai and shuriken tucked safely away in his holster's and his mind set. If this were a mission, it would definitely be A-ranked: Mission 'Get Hinata Back from my Bastard Brother'.

Within seconds, Sasuke had hopped over the gate and landed smoothly on the other side. He looked to the east, where the sun was now clearly visible.

'Hinata, just wait. I'm coming.'


	8. Chapter Eight

**Not Alone**

**Chapter Eight**

The young man gazed out at the sunrise, his arms crossed and a grim look on his face. The bright, fire-like colors in the sky reminded him of the flame of hate that had consumed him for the last week. His clan was killed, all except for two people: himself and Hinata.

Neji brushed back the strand of hair that blew into his eyes and squinted into the distance. It wasn't as if he was all that depressed over the clan's demise; at least it wasn't just the branch family and not the main family that had been murdered. He had known death, so it wasn't sadness that overran his emotions.

Who dare take away the heir to the clan?

Neji hated to admit it, but he was rather protective of Hinata. Sure, he said that she was weak and that she wasn't worthy of being the heir to the clan, but they were still related and he felt that he had to protect her, just as his father had told him.

It sure was a pain sifting through the rotting corpses of the Hyuuga to find any survivors, but Neji managed to get through it and even give the clan a proper burial the night before. Of course, the murderer had skipped over two people, but that was enough to get revenge. Hell, if only he had survived, that would've been fine. But still…he had a duty that he had to honor.

Neji uncrossed his arms and stared down the road ahead of him that led away from Konoha. If he had to search the ends of the earth to find Hinata, he would do so. The heir to Hyuuga had to live, and that was that.

Neji lifted his headband and traced his fingers lightly over the mark on his forehead, the mark that bound him to serve the main family until the day he died.

"Hinata-sama, I'm coming."

* * *

Hinata dragged her feet behind the two men, her body aching from lack of sleep and food. When was it since she had last had a decent meal or an undisturbed night's sleep? A few days? A week? It had seemed so long since she had led a normal life, though the incident happened a bit more than a week before. What happened to having a nice bath, a cup of tea, and heading straight to bed?

Hinata grimaced and stared right at Itachi's back. He was what happened. God, if she could get his hands around his nasty neck…

"Hinata-sama is rather tired and cranky," Itachi said, breaking the silence that hung over the three. "Perhaps we should rest."

"Tch, why do we care if she gets tired?" Kisame snorted.

"I want a healthy heir whose mother won't die from exhaustion," Itachi replied simply.

"Yeah, yeah. You just want an easy fuck, that's all."

Hinata frowned. "I'm right behind you, you know," she mumbled.

Kisame whipped around and grinned at her, his pointed teeth glinting in the midday sun. "Perhaps you're right, Itachi-san. The bitch is giving us some attitude."

Hinata clenched his fists and restrained herself from punching the ugly shark-man (what _was _he anyway?) in his ugly face. "I'm fine," she said between clenched teeth. "I don't need rest. I'm not weak."

"Of course you're not, Hinata-san," Itachi said with a slight sneer in his voice.

Kisame scoffed. "That's amusing. Women are weaklings whose only job is to serve men."

Hinata shook her head and looked to her left, where there were long fields of grain and wheat blowing in the breeze. How could Sasuke be related to this bastard? Okay, so they did look similar, but on the inside they were total opposites. In a nutshell, one had a heart of a human being with actual emotions and the other a heart of a murderer.

"Where are you taking me, anyway?" Hinata grumbled.

"Back to our headquarters," Itachi answered, still not looking at her.

Hinata sighed. "You could've just raped me back in Konoha and get over with it."

"You obviously didn't understand me, Hinata-sama." Itachi finally turned his head and stared straight into her eyes. "You're staying with me forever."

"The rest of Akatsuki aren't going to be too happy with this, Itachi-san," Kisame said warningly.

"I'm going to make them accept it." Itachi slowly looked away from Hinata.

Hinata felt her heart plummet. 'There are _more_ of them?' Her shoulders dropped. "So how much longer do we have to go?"

"A while, woman, so shut up," Kisame snapped, gripping his monster sword.

Hinata gulped, nodded, and made a silent vow to remain quiet the rest of the trip.

* * *

The rest of the way to the Akatsuki headquarters was rather uneventful, the most exciting event being a stepping on of a dead raccoon by Hinata, who squealed and complained about how she could possibly have gotten rabies. Of course, the other two weren't at all amused by this and one of them even threatened to chop off her "goddamn annoying head".

The sun was beginning to hide under the horizon and the sky was glowing with deep reds and oranges as Itachi and Kisame led Hinata through a lush, thriving forest. Hinata's throat was parched and her stomach occasionally rumbled with hunger. God, these guys really were not at all polite! Usually men were supposed to make sure the women were as comfortable as possible, not starve them to death and force them to walk for miles on end.

Finally, Itachi halted and held out his arm, which Hinata ran right into with a loud groan. Kisame slammed his sword into the ground and sighed.

"Well, here we are, you nasty bitch."

Hinata lifted her tired head and let out a small gasp. They were standing in front of what looked like a feudal palace, worn down and weathered with age. Tall, red shrine gates and cherry blossom trees in full bloom led up to the stone steps in front of the sliding doors. Statues of dragons glared down from two stone pillars on either side of the entrance, their sneers forever frozen by the artists' chisel.

Itachi looked down at the awed girl and gave her a superior sort of smile. "Hinata-sama is pleased, no?"

Hinata continued to stare at the sight in front of her. "It's-it's beautiful," she whispered, almost hating herself for liking the "new home" her kidnappers brought her to.

Kisame picked up his sword and swung it over his shoulder. "Feh, you won't think that once you live here for a couple years."

He walked ahead of Itachi and Hinata and disappeared behind the sliding doors a moment later. Itachi gestured to Hinata and they followed Kisame into the headquarters of the Akatsuki.

Though Hinata had no emotional attachment to the man in front of her, she wanted to keep as close to him as possible as they walked down the dusty wooden hallways that were only lit by a few candles here and there. The hair on the back of her neck pricked up as she caught pairs of eyes from other rooms following her with every footstep she made. Though Itachi was a rather sadistic bastard with sick intentions, Hinata would've rather stuck by him then be by herself with the other members of the Akatsuki, who probably had even sicker intentions when women came into the picture. Kisame was nowhere to be seen.

Itachi stopped her at the beginning of yet another long and dark hallway. He slid open a nearby door and motioned for her to follow him inside. Hinata hesitantly stepped ahead of Itachi into the small bedroom, once again being surprised at the older-aged elegance. Tatami mats lined the floor of the room and softened the sound of their footsteps. The small, barred window in the corner of the room let in the faint light of the first stairs popping out in the sky. Hinata's heart dropped as her eyes crossed over the lone futon that sat right in the middle of the room. Surely they weren't going to do "it" tonight, right? She was expecting to wait a few days before she'd have to give up her chastity, but tonight? That was way too soon.

Her heart jumped as Itachi slammed the door shut behind them. Shivers ran up the girl's arms as he placed a hand on her lower back and shifted ever closer to her. Hinata crossed her arms over her chest and pulled just a few inches away. God, this guy sure was being forward.

"Don't worry, Hinata-sama," Itachi said silkily, placing his other hand on her hip. "The wait and the lust for you should be just as enjoyable as the actual experience."

He chuckled and took his hands away from her. Hinata's eyes widened and she whipped around, once again staring into the mesmerizing Sharingan eyes.

"W-Wait, we're not going to do it tonight?"

Itachi smiled and touched her cheek lightly. "No, not tonight."

He nodded, slid open the door once more, and left Hinata by herself. Hinata touched her own cheek lightly and was surprised to find that her face was rather hot. Was she blushing? No, that couldn't be!

Hinata shook her head and sighed. 'No, I can't fall for him. He ruined my life…and Sasuke-kun's life, too.'

She plopped herself down on the futon, curled her knees up to her chest, and stared out the barred window. The view was spectacular: the moon showed through the curtain of pink cherry blossoms and the wind caressed the window gently. It was the kind of view you wanted to share with that "special someone"….

Or maybe just the next best thing, his brother.

Hinata blinked, feeling her eyes start to water. She remembered a story her father once told her. It was the story of how cherry blossom trees came to be. The story itself was rather cliché and predictable, but when Hinata was a child, she was entranced by it.

Apparently, there once was a beautiful princess who fell in love with a peasant man. Of course, the two weren't allowed to marry due to their social statuses, but the girl's father did say that she could marry the peasant's brother, who was higher up in the social ladder than his younger sibling. The peasant man begged the princess not to marry his brother, but since he was a rather handsome fellow and he could provide well for the princess, the girl married the older brother and received blessings from the king.

The princess and the older brother moved to the grandest palace in all the land that included a beautiful garden, complete with huge koi ponds, many flower beds, and wide, winding walkways. There was only one thing wrong with the garden: there was a bare patch of grass on which plants were attempted to be grown, but nothing would come out of that soil. The couple tried everything they could to get something to grow on that bare patch of land that just didn't fit in with the rest of the scenery, but nothing worked. They finally gave up.

A year later, the couple received news that the peasant that had been so madly in love with the princess had taken his own life by drowning himself in a river. The older brother was overcome with grief and just a week later stabbed himself with the sword that his father-in-law had presented to him. The two brothers were dead and the beautiful princess was alone.

One day, the princess took a walk through the beautiful garden outside her home. She sat down on the bare patch of land where nothing grew and wept.

"I wish…I could see my husband and his brother once more," she said through her tears.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew threw the garden and a second later, the princess was sitting under two trees with pink blossoms on the branches. She wiped her tears and smiled at the two trees. She got her wish: she would be with her missed ones forever, and all of Japan would get to experience the beauty as well.

Hinata yawned and fell back on the futon, having the same wish as the princess: to see her loved ones again.

**A/N: Ummm…yeah. That little story about the cherry blossoms isn't an official legend. I actually wrote it last year for a culture class, and my teacher really liked it and…yeah. I think it's kinda lame since I wrote that over a year ago, but oh well. It works. **


	9. Chapter Nine

**Not Alone:**

**Chapter Nine**

Sasuke shivered under the trees and hugged himself tightly. It had been months since he had to spend the night in the forest, but at least during those times he was with his team. Now, he was alone.

Sasuke picked up a small, splintery twig off the dirt and idly began tracing its tip along the ground. He was tired, cold, hungry, and most of all…pissed. Itachi had taken his family from him, and now he had taken the girl that Sasuke had actually started to care about.

'Wait…_care_ about?'

He shuddered at the thought, but couldn't deny that it was true. He had always thought the girls in the village to be snotty, stuck-up, and not at all pretty. They were obsessive and wouldn't leave him the hell alone either. But Hinata…Hinata was _different_. Though he hardly ever talked to her before this little incident, he knew that she stuck out from the rest of the girls. She was on a whole different level of emotional and not to mention physical maturity. The way she talked, acted, moved…her body that was comparable to a porn-star's…

'Speaking of that…' Sasuke looked up at the sky and groaned. 'Goddamn, I need my entertainment.'

He felt himself blush at the thought. Okay, so it turned out that the so-called 'most respectable young man' in Konoha was an avid porn watcher. Hey, it wasn't that dishonorable. His own teacher partook in the activity, too. So go fuck yourself.

Sasuke crossed his right leg over his left and dropped the twig on the ground. He knew that this wasn't the time to be thinking about his XXX rated movies hiding safely under his bed, but when dirty thoughts came to his mind, they had a tendency to stick. Like that dream he had had the night before…

Sasuke grinned. 'Having dreams about Hinata being my sexy maid was _hot_.'

Truthfully, almost all his dreams had a few dirty aspects about them, but this dream had to be the dirtiest…and the _best_. Frilly maid outfits mixed with so-called 'chores' and a dash of 'Oh Sasuke-kun, you're an animal!' made up to be one hell of a dream.

Sasuke sighed and stared at the ground. The more he thought about the girl, the more he ached to see her. If Itachi had done anything to Hinata…oh god, he'd make sure that bastard would get hell. He felt that he had a duty to protect her, given that they had had the same experiences and that deep down, both of them were fragile.

'Goddamn, I didn't know I was becoming so weak,' Sasuke thought, frowning. 'Ah, the weakness of the human heart. It's unbearable.'

He picked himself off the ground and brushed off the dirt that had stuck to his rear-end. He looked at the night sky and with a silent vow to keep going until he had either died or found Hinata and ripped off his brother's head, he nodded and departed from the clearing.

* * *

"Come on, sweetie, it's time to wake up," said a soft, warm voice in Hinata's ear.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes, the light now flooding into the room nearly blinding her. She yawned and looked up. A pale, smiling face of a woman looked down at her and the clean, sweet scent of lavender filled her nostrils.

"Good morning," the woman said gently.

Hinata stared at her, almost not believing what was going on. "Wh-what?"

The woman laughed and brushed her black, silky hair over her shoulder. "Silly me! I haven't introduced myself!" She grinned, but there was still an air of sadness to her expression. "I'm Hikari, the nurse for the Akatsuki."

Hinata's heart and she moaned. "I'm still here, huh?"

Hikari nodded and straightened out the baby blue kimono she was wearing. "Unfortunately, yes." Her grin melted off her face. "Itachi has really taken a liking to you."

Hinata propped herself on her elbow and grimaced. "I-I don't want to have sex with him."

Hikari didn't respond for a minute but instead looked out the window at the cherry blossom tree. "I didn't want to either," she said quietly.

Hinata gasped. "You mean-"

Hikari nodded and turned to Hinata. "I was brought here when I was sixteen. The Akatsuki raped and murdered my sisters and kidnapped me." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't even begin to tell you how they've ruined my life, fucking me and trying to get me knocked up with their bastard children."

Hinata bit her lower lip. "I honestly don't know what to say…"

Hikari shrugged as though it wasn't that big of a deal. "That's life for ya. Anyways…" She reached behind her and pulled out a kimono that was identical to hers'. "Itachi-sama says you are to change into this and meet him when you're finished.

Hinata gingerly touched the silk fabric of the kimono. "It's-it's so…beautiful…"

Hikari smiled and patted her on the head. "You're gonna look gorgeous in it." She stood up and bowed. "Well, I'll leave you alone then."

Before Hikari left the room, Hinata spoke up, wanting to express the thought that was itching at her mind.

"Hikari-san?"

Hikari turned around. "Yes?"

Hinata traced her finger along the seams of the kimono, afraid of the answer Hikari was going to give to her question. "Is…is there a way out of here?"

Hikari sighed deeply and closed her eyes before shaking her head lightly. "No, Hinata-sama. You're most likely going to stay here until you die."

With that said she left the room and slammed the door shut behind her without giving Hinata a second glance. Hinata stared down at the beautiful kimono in her hands, wanting to cry yet not letting the tears come. Now was not the time to cry…

Now was the time to try and get the hell out of that prison, no matter what it took.

**A/N: Okay, I'm so lame: I wrote a short chapter and I made a reference to one of my own stories in this chapter. Jeeze, even I'll admit that I'm selfless. **

**Umm…more Neji in the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Not Alone:**

**Chapter Ten**

An exhausted Neji slumped to the dirt floor of the large clearing, fresh sweat running down his pale face. He had traveled the entire night, not certain of where he was going or how he was going to find his cousin. His natural extinct told him to run and not stop until he had found Hinata.

Neji brushed away a strand of starless black hair out of his ivory white eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to slow down his racing heartbeat. He had not eaten for a whole twenty-four hours; anger and hope had been his only fuel so far. But that was a miniscule obstacle to overcome. The only thing that would keep Neji from saving Hinata was death.

The boy sighed deeply and closed his eyes. What was he going to do when he found Hinata? Were they going to pursue the killer of the Hyuuga clan together? Were they just going to go back to Konoha peacefully and try to forget about the whole ordeal? What were they going to do when they got back anyways? Their family was murdered, and the only was to revive the clan was…

Neji grimaced. "No way. Hinata-sama is my cousin, not my lover."

He thought for a moment before reaching into his pocket and fishing out a crumbled photo taken nearly thirteen years ago. He unfolded the picture and flattened it out as best he could. Four year-old Hinata smiled shyly back at him with her hands folded neatly in her lap and slightly chubby cheeks tinted pink. In her short, dark hair was the cheap plastic hairclip that Neji had given to her for her birthday.

'She loved that thing…'

Neji squinted. He really hadn't given his cousin the respect she deserved. He had hated her for something she couldn't control: the family she was born to. He despised her for the blood that ran through her veins, the name that she had inherited. Now…she might've been dead. She might've died before she knew that Neji cared for her enough to try and save her.

'That won't happen. I won't let her die!'

With restored drive, Neji stuffed the photograph back into his pocket and stood up. He looked towards the horizon, where the sun was just beginning to rise, and ran off through the tall, swaying grass.

* * *

Hinata remained silent as she stripped off her sweaty, travel-worn clothes and slipped on the kimono, feeling slightly refreshed; the silky texture of the kimono felt much more pleasant on her skin than her dirt encrusted training clothing. She folded the left side of the kimono over the right and secured the obi in place right underneath her breasts. She turned her head and looked at her sides and back.

'I hate to admit it, but this really is pretty.'

Hinata straightened out the kimono and ran her fingers through her tangled hair, frowning. It had been quite some time since she had properly brushed and washed her hair, and she couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed that Itachi had seen her with her hair looking like a dead rat.

As Hinata hurriedly try to straighten her unkempt hair, a sense of self-loathe came over her and she immediately snapped her hands to her sides. Why did she care so much about what that bastard thought? If she looked ugly, wouldn't Itachi be less tempted to do anything to her? But then again…

Hinata exhaled. Though it seemed a tad bit immature, the attention that Itachi was giving her was rather flattering. No one had ever gone as far and done so many awful things just to get a hold of her. For most of her life, Hinata was pushed to the side, ignored. Now that she was getting this spotlight treatment, she felt like she was needed. It felt good…_really _good.

Hinata stole another glance at the beautiful blue kimono and suppressed a scream as she spotted something she didn't notice before. The entire bottom half of the kimono was stained with a large, reddish-brown spot that she couldn't help but think was blood. So maybe she wasn't getting great treatment after all; clothes covered in blood really didn't make a girl feel at ease.

Hinata closed her eyes, her stomach churning with nervousness. They were going to kill her. They were going to take her innocence, get a child out of her and stab her through the heart like they did her family. She was just a tool, no, a toy and nothing more.

Before Hinata could whip off the stained kimono, the door to her room slid open and Itachi entered. Her body tensed up as his eyes traveled from her face all the way down her entire body. He was sick…just plain, fucking sick.

Hinata gathered up her courage and cleared her throat, but her voice came out shaky and pathetic-sounding. "W-well, good morning to you, too."

Itachi slowly looked back at her face. "So I see that the nurse brought you the proper retire."

Hinata gestured toward the kimono, her voice now strong and clear. "Do you really think that I wanna wear _this_?"

Itachi smiled. "So you saw the stain?"

"How could I not notice a big, ugly thing like that?"

Itachi took another step towards Hinata and pointed at her chest, causing her feeble courage to melt away entirely. "That, Hinata-sama, is what happens to girls who don't listen to their man."

Hinata stared at him open-mouthed. He was talking to her like she belonged to him! Was she not even a human being who didn't deserve to be treated like a dog?

Itachi held out his hand to her. "Come, you are to be with me all day."

Hinata glared at the outstretched hand and reluctantly grabbed it with her own, making sure that her nails dug hard into his skin. Itachi chuckled and pulled the girl tightly to his side.

"Hinata-sama, stop denying your feelings. You don't know it now, but you are falling for me hard."

Hinata gripped his hand even tighter. 'When hell freezes over, you cocky bastard.'


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Not Alone:**

**Chapter Eleven**

Hinata slowly chewed a mouthful of steamed rice as she stared across the small table at the dark-haired man. She was starving, yet she didn't want to show Itachi any sign of weakness. She wasn't going to let him think that he could do anything he wanted to her.

Itachi looked back at her, brows raised. "You don't have to hold back. Go on; eat."

Hinata swallowed. "For all I know, it could be poisoned."

Itachi sighed exasperatedly. "Hinata-sama, I'm not going to kill you. You know my intentions. How can I go through with them with a dead woman?"

Hinata sat still for a moment before gripping her chopsticks and eating the rice speedily and vigorously, as if she hadn't had a decent meal in days (which was true). Itachi nodded in satisfaction and leaned back, staring at the girl as she filled her empty stomach.

After a few minutes of gorging, Hinata slowly set down the small ceramic bowl and gazed around the small room she and Itachi were currently in. It was empty except for the table at which she was eating. It was dark and cramped…she felt even more trapped.

"I'm making sure you won't be out of my sight," Itachi said lightly. "I know that you want to escape from here and go back to Konoha."

Hinata felt her heart sink. So now he was going to keep those blood-red eyes on her 24 hours a day? There was no way she was going to get back home!

"And besides," Itachi continued. "Why do you so desperately want to go back there? Where will you go? Who will take you in?"

The girl's thoughts immediately turned to Sasuke. They were both alone, both on their own. Hinata knew that she would simply be devastated if she had to spend her life alone, and possibly, just _maybe_, they could start a life together.

She blushed at the thought. A life? With the most coveted boy in the village? As if she, the quiet shy girl, should even be thinking about that. Sasuke probably didn't care about her in the least bit. His hospitality was most likely just an act of charity; nothing more.

"I know who you're thinking of," Itachi said, breaking Hinata's train of thought. "It's Sasuke, isn't it? Well, tell me, Hinata-sama…" His eyes turned to slits and his lips curled into a frown. "What the hell is so goddamn amazing about him? He's a weak, cocky little bastard with his head half-way up his ass." He leaned forward, keeping the cold, hard look on his pale face. "Tell me, woman: why him?"

Hinata returned Itachi's menacing look with a proud defiant stare. "Because he helped me when I needed the most support."

An annoyed flicker flashed in the man's eyes, yet his mouth remained shut. The two didn't take their eyes off one another for a full minute until Itachi quickly stood up, causing the table to quake. Hinata felt her pulse quicken, yet she told herself not to be intimidated; the only reason why he was angry was because she was starting to stand up for herself.

"Come, Hinata-sama," Itachi said in a quavering voice, which pleased Hinata immensely. "There is something I must show you."

Hinata frowned. "It's not a dead body, is it?"

"No."

Before Hinata could protest, Itachi swooped down and grabbed her upper arm. He heaved her off the floor and grabbed hold of her other arm. The girl's blood was absolutely raging; he was getting close to her _again_.

Itachi raised his hand and brushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.   
"You _will_ be mine, Hinata-sama."

Hinata was frozen. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move. What was wrong with her? Her face was getting hot. Her heart was racing. And worst of all…

'I'm getting that tingly feeling down there between my legs,' she thought, not believing that her body was betraying her.

"We…we'll see," she whispered after her mouth had become unglued.

Itachi pulled away from her and gestured to the door. "Now come."

Hinata sighed with relief and started to follow Itachi out of the room. For some reason, it had felt hot and stuffy in there, even though she was wearing the light silk kimono that had before felt cool on her skin. There was definitely something wrong. Itachi had to have done something to the rice.

'He probably put in aphrodisiac in it,' Hinata concluded as Itachi led her outside into the beaming sunlight, thoroughly convinced that her body would not act like that on its' own.

"You're going to like where we're going," Itachi said simply as the two passed over a wooden bridge that stretched over a large koi pond.

Hinata was once again in awe of the garden outside the mansion. She didn't get too good of a look at it when she first got there, but now her eyes wandered over towering statues of dragons, cranes, and tigers, beautiful chrysanthemums in full bloom, and the old yet majestic willow and cherry blossom trees.

Itachi stopped in front of the largest willow tree in the area and held his hand out to halt the girl behind him. He slowly lifted the dropping branches and stood to the side. Hinata nodded at him curtly, wondering just what he was going to show her, and ducked under the branches. Itachi followed her, letting the branches fall, and glided over to the large hole in the middle of the veiling tree. Hinata watched nervously as he reached into the hole and pulled out a small, silk-covered box. She couldn't help but think about the tale she had heard when she was a child about the woman who opened a small, silk box her husband had been hiding and finding gouged eyes and male members inside.

Itachi stroked the top of the box and offered it to Hinata. "Don't worry; I don't castrate men."

Hinata stared at him, not believing that he had just somehow read her mind, before looking down at the box in his hands. It really was beautiful. Just like the kimono, it was made of real silk, not the cheap rip-off that most stores in Konoha sold. But just because it was good-looking on the outside didn't mean that it was any good inside.

'Just like Itachi,' Hinata thought.

The Uchiha lost his patience and shoved the box into her hands. "Open it."

Hinata sighed anxiously and lifted the lid. Her eyes widened; what was inside was even more beautiful than the box itself! She reached into the box and pulled out a gold necklace with a blazing red ruby the size of a large coin hanging from it. She looked at Itachi in surprise.

"You're…you're not giving this to me, are you?"

The man smiled. "Of course I am."

Hinata was breathless as her fingers glided over the red jewel. She was speechless…the man who she thought she hated had, in a time span of half an hour, had made her horny _and_ given her priceless jewelry. This had definitely been unexpected.

The girls' fingers ran under the metal backing on the jewel and was surprised to find that the surface was rough. She turned it over and saw that curvy letters had been inscribed into the metal. She squinted and could barely make out what it said:

_Passions will be inflamed_

_Under the_

_Red moon._

**A/N: The tale about the woman finding gouged eyeballs and male members in a box is an actual Japanese tale. Just wanted to clear that up so you all don't think I'm a sicko with weird ideas for stories (wait, you probably already think that after reading my fanfiction). **


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Not Alone:**

**Chapter Twelve**

To Sasuke's dismay, he had fallen asleep.

He had sworn to himself that he would keep going, without any rest, until he had found Hinata. Unfortunately, after a long argument with the voice in his head (the same voice that had told him to join Hinata on the couch many days before), he stopped by a small, secluded stream for a short break, nothing more. But poor Sasuke had to give in to his body's yearning for sleep; with the newly risen sun's rays pounding on him and the gentle trickle of the stream, there was no way he was going to resist the temptation of a nice, long nap.

Sasuke grumbled to himself irritably as he slowly lifted his weary body up off the surprisingly soft grass. "My god, what is wrong with my body?"

_"Well, for one thing…" _Sneered the voice in his head.

"What?!" Sasuke snapped back, though once again a veil of shame gathered over him; he was talking to himself.

_"My boy," _said the voice almost gleefully. _"It looks like you creamed yourself during the night."_

Sasuke looked down and his eyes widened with disbelief. Sure enough, a large puddle with a strange smell emanating from it had formed in the front of his pants. My oh my, if only the girls back in Konoha could see this…

Sasuke let out a small laugh and shook his head, covering his face with his hand. "You're…you're kidding me, right?" He took his hand away and looked at his crotch. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

_"Nope, it's real and you know it. Oh, how humiliating to jack off and not even be prepared for it…'_

The man ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head once more. What was with him? He fell asleep _and_ gave in to his male needs? Sasuke felt like he was going to cry. Hinata needed him more than anything, and here he was only helping himself. What kind of a man was he?

Sasuke quickly took a kunai out of the holster at the side of his thigh and held it up, its' grey metal reflecting the glorious morning light. "Ya know, if I just stabbed myself _down there_…"

The voice quickly intervened. _"Woah woah WOAH! Let's not be rash here! What good would stabbing yourself in the dick do?"_

"It's punishment for being such a cowardly, selfish man," he said quietly, beginning to undo the button at the top of his pants.

_"Are you crazy? Are you some kind of masochist?!" _The insistent voice screamed. _"If you cut yourself, not only would you end up in the hospital with one hell of an embarrassing injury, but you would be pushed back even further in your rescue mission! And besides…" _The voice transformed itself into a silky smooth whisper. _"If you do rescue Hinata, you might have some fun times with that thing."_

Sasuke tilted his head, considering what his mind was saying to him. It was, undoubtedly, right. Hurting himself might lead to more suffering for the girl he was trying to save. And the part about 'more fun times'…

Sasuke's mouth watered and he quickly slipped the kunai back into the holster. "My god, you're right!" He yelled, to no one in particular (in fact, if someone had walked by right at that moment, they would've thought him to be crazy). "Why sacrifice the most important part of my body for self-pity?" He raised his arms in the air and shouted. "And damn it all, after I'm done with this, I want to fuck-"

Sasuke stopped in mid-sentence and realized what he was doing. He slowly lowered his arms and cleared his throat. So much for the dignified, controlled Uchiha Sasuke of Konohagakure. Maybe he had been alone too much.

"Hmph."

_"…I think you need a friend."_

"I think you need to shut up."

* * *

Unlike Sasuke, the other man in pursuit of Hinata had remained true to his vow of not resting…so far. Neji dragged his weary body along the dusty dirt road, ignoring the searing pain in every joint and muscle of his body. Sweat trickled down from his forehead, its' salty taste on his chapped lips. His vision had started to go blurry from fatigue and his stomach growled loudly, demanding food.

'Keep going, don't stop now,' his mind urged him. 'You must save her, you must! For the clan, for you!'

Neji gulped, the little spit left in his mouth crawling into his parched throat. He hadn't felt so weak in ages. Of course, he trained extremely well and his body was in excellent shape, but lack of sleep and food had definitely taken a physical and mental toll. Not only was Neji's body aching, but so was his mind. His thoughts had remained solely on his cousin, who had only recently begun to mean something to him.

Neji's knees began to wobble. "Hinata…" He whispered. "Do it for Hinata…"

It was then that he began to fall. First his shaking knees, then his torso, and lastly his head, his silky black hair falling gently into the dust of the road. And even though he was lying facedown in dirt, Neji's body rejoiced.

"I don't want to move," Neji said to the ground, his eyes closed. "Just want to…sleep…"

He slowly, reluctantly lifted his head and squinted. The setting sun glared in his eyes and a soft wind blew over him, cooling his sweaty body. Neji opened his eyes widely and blinked. In the distance, no more than sixty feet in front of him, someone was walking towards him.

Neji raised his right arm and rubbed his eyes, but the figure was still there, even closer now. He rubbed his eyes again and again, but the silhouette didn't disappear. It was real. Someone, friend or foe he wasn't sure, was almost ten feet in front of him.

Suddenly, the figure stopped. All had become quiet on the road. Neji squinted his eyes again and his lower jaw dropped slightly.

"U-U-Uchiha?" He rasped.

Without a doubt, that annoying Uchiha kid was standing right in front of him. But how? Why was he so far away from the village?

Sasuke took a step closer, trembling. "N-Neji? But…but the clan is…"

"The clan's dead and Hinata's gone!" Neji spat, the pain in his throat intensifying. He cringed as he used his arms to spring himself off the ground. "And I, as her cousin, as one of the last survivors, am going after the bastard who kidnapped her!"

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "How-how are you alive?"

"Why does it matter?" Neji said impatiently, his tiredness making him irritable. "Just get out of my way, Uchiha."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and stepped right in front of, preventing him from going any further. "You don't know what you're doing! You're not even sure who you're up against here!"

Neji's anger at the other man began to lessen. He obviously had valuable information, information that was vital to Hinata's rescue.

He took a deep breath. "Tell me: who took my cousin away from Konoha?"

Sasuke tilted his head. "You look dead. You should get some rest."

Neji formed his hands into fists and yelled, "Tell me, damn it! Who kidnapped Hinata?"

Sasuke grinned, enjoying the anxious state he had put Neji in. "I don't know. I think we should discuss this over some sake, or even some dinner-"

Neji pulled back his arm. "Don't pull this bull shit on me, Uchiha!" He lamely swung his fist at Sasuke, who merely stepped aside to dodge it, and fell once again to the ground.

Sasuke bent down and clicked his tongue. "Who would've known we'd meet up like this, eh Neji?" He lifted Neji's arm and hung it around his own shoulder. "Looks like you need my help more than ever."

"P-piss off," Neji growled, secretly thankful for something to lean on, even if it was the annoying Uchiha kid.

* * *

_"Now, if this isn't your gayest experience, please tell me what is," _the voice piped up in Sasuke's head.

Sasuke frowned, but knew the voice was right. Sharing a room at an inn with a man was bad. But being in the same bed with that man and only having your boxers on was worse.

Sasuke pulled the blankets up to his neck and glared at Neji, who was only lying a few feet away from him. "If you hadn't been so damn weak we wouldn't be here!"

Neji turned around and faced him, making the mattress sink slightly. "Don't blame me! You're the one who suggested that we take the night off!"

"Only so you could recover!" The other man retorted, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I told you that I didn't need it, but you insisted!"

"Only so you wouldn't _die_ on me!"

Silence, then…

"So what's with that weird stain that was on your pants?"

Sasuke felt himself flush. "Don't change the subject, ass-wipe."

"Don't tell me you actually mastur-"

"Fuck off!"

"No, _you_ fuck off!"

The two men were now sitting up, staring daggers at each other. Neji's eye began to twitch and he sighed, lying back down. Sasuke stared at his pale back, wishing dearly that he could just stab the bastard right through his heart, but instead composed himself and took deep, calming breaths.

"We need to strategize here. We both have a common goal; if we work together, we might just succeed."

"But you never told me who it is we're going up against here," Neji replied lazily, his back still facing Sasuke.

Sasuke carefully considered his answer. Should he tell Neji that it was his own brother who had kidnapped Hinata? Or would that just throw him into a hissy, question-chucking fit?

"He's…an extremely dangerous man."

Neri snorted. "Why thank you, Uchiha!" He said sarcastically. "I would've never been able to figure that out without your brilliant mind!"

Annoyance threatened to conquer Sasuke's calmness, yet he retained his cool and tact. "No one in Konoha can rival his strength." He paused for a moment, scratching his hair, and continued. "This man is a member of the Akatsuki."

Sasuke saw the other man stiffen. "Are-are you serious? How do you know?"

"He's…my brother."

Neji quickly flipped over, looking at Sasuke with a terrified look in his eyes. "But…you're the sole survivor-"

"My brother is the one who killed the clan!" Sasuke yelled impatiently, causing Neji to jump slightly. "Not only the Uchiha, but the Hyuuga too!"

Neji's lip trembled and he shook his head. "Hinata-sama is as good as dead. Good as fucking dead-"

"No she isn't!" Sasuke interrupted. "Even if we don't know where to start looking, even if there are only two of us, and even if we are going against an S-ranked criminal, we'll find a way, though it seems impossible!"

They both remained silent after his outburst before Neji whispered "It doesn't_ seem_ impossible. It _is_ impossible.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Not Alone:**

**Chapter Thirteen**

The next week or so passed by uneventfully. Hinata had begun adjusting to the new routine of waking up, spending the entire day with Itachi, and going to bed, and although she denied it, she had also started to enjoy the man's company. Though some of the anecdotes he shared with her were rather morbid, his undivided attention and incessant remarks regarding her ravish beauty were flattering, considering that he himself was irrefutably a very attractive man (yet another fact Hinata kept to herself). Yet as much as she valued her time with Itachi, the fear of when he was finally going to demand that they sleep together itched at the back of Hinata's mind; she was nowhere near ready for that. Every night before she went to bed, she would pull the stunning necklace the man had presented her out of her kimono and gaze at the inscription, wondering if its' riddle gave a clue as to when she was to lose her virginity to Itachi. One night, as she looked upon the blood-red stone inlaid in the necklace, her stomach twisted and her thoughts turned achingly back to Konoha.

'I miss home so much,' she thought climbing under the blankets of her futon. 'But I have yet to think of a plan to get out of here.'

Hinata felt her insides clench as a familiar face manifested in her head. It seemed like ages ago when Sasuke had taken her in after she had discovered the corpses of her family. Had he taken his brother's bait? Was he now on his way to rescue her? Or had he simply ignored her disappearance? The girl thought longingly of Sasuke and the kindness he had shown her when out of the corner of her eye, she could see movement beyond the cherry blossom trees outside her window. Curiosity gripping her, Hinata slipped out of the bed and knelt in front of the window sill. Squinting into the darkness, she could barely discern the edge of a baby blue kimono whipping in the light breeze and disappearing into the night. Confused as to why the nurse of the organization would be out so late, Hinata shifted her position and attempted to see what Hikari was up to.

"She's trying to escape," whispered a cold voice behind the girl that made her jump and the hairs on the back of her neck perk up uncomfortably.

Hinata turned slowly and faced Itachi, who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded and wearing nothing but black boxer shorts. Her voice was caught in her throat as she gazed upon the man's tight stomach muscles, his gorgeous, god-like body. How could he torture her so, being as beautiful yet terrifying as he was? The girl's inexperienced body begged for him, yet her scared, wary mind screamed that she should demand him to get the hell out of there and put some goddamn clothes on, since it wasn't fair for someone as breath-taking as him to be walking around half-naked.

After a moment of silence, Hinata's heart and hormones racing, she managed to take a deep breath and avert her eyes. "Why don't you stop her?"

"Because it's amusing to watch her futile efforts. She will never be free."

The girl sighed, her heart plummeting. "But why? Hikari-san hates being here…" She gulped and before she could stop herself, quickly said "And so do I."

Itachi stared at her silently before grinning maliciously and taking a step towards her. "I'll make you want to stay here."

Hinata gasped and scrambled against the wall, as far away as she could from Itachi, as the man walked right up to her and bent down, stroking the side of her neck with his poisonous, intoxicating touch. She detested how good his cool hand felt against her warm cheek, how fast her heart was racing…and how hot her lower region was growing. She gulped down quick breaths of air, her shoulder blades rubbing against the wall, and she knew that she was trapped.

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the man's warm, wet lips caress her neck. "P-please…" She whimpered.

Itachi scoffed into her skin, his breath causing shivers to run down her spine. "Don't even try to disillusion yourself into thinking that you don't want this."

Hinata opened her eyes slowly and bit down on her lower lip as her milky white eyes made contact with his crimson ones. He was looking at her so intensely, so lustfully. He shifted his weight so that his bare chest was leaning against hers, and Hinata could just barely feel his heartbeat. It seemed so impossible that this awful man, this monster, could even have a heart. Yet it was right there, beating in time to her own, and Hinata realized that Itachi was human, like her, and that even he needed to release his physical urges, needed to feel the touch of a woman. Ah, the weakness of the human flesh.

Itachi smiled at her and tilted his head while his hand snaked behind her head, forcing her lips to come within inches of his. "I want this," he breathed, closing his eyes and leaning forward. "And I get whatever I want."

Euphoria and bliss were the only ways to describe the moment when Itachi's lips met those of the emotionally torn girl. Even though her mind cried that it was imperative to push the man off of her, her body and heart pleaded that he show her the unknown, dark depths of love and passion. As of late, the only emotion that she had felt was that of overwhelming sadness, of anger, of hate, at losing her family and loved ones. But now Itachi was giving her a way to escape all of that, with his tongue begging for entrance into her mouth and his hands tangling in her silky hair.

Hinata closed her eyes while she allowed her hands to wander down the man's muscular body, and it was then that Sasuke's face popped into her mind once again. Now, instead of kissing Itachi, she imagined that it was his younger brother she was with, that she was sharing this moment of passion and want with Sasuke, that he was the one handling her body as if it were made of silk.

She wanted _him_, the man who had showed her compassion and empathy in the time she most needed it…not his son-of-a-bitch brother.

Hinata snapped her eyes open and with all the strength she could muster pushed Itachi off of her, whose face registered surprise at the abrupt interruption of their kiss. "I can't do this," she whispered between gasps for air.

Itachi's eyes narrowed, penetrating her already weak defenses with a hardened gaze that could've turned the flames of hell into ice. "You will do whatever I say," he seethed after a moment of strained silence, this time grabbing Hinata by the shoulders and shoving her onto her back.

The girl squirmed futilely and stuttered out protests as Itachi straddled her and began stripping her of her night clothing. "You-_you_ can't do this!" She said shrilly. "If-if you go any farther, I swear I'll-"

The man's calloused hand clamped her mouth shut, stopping her pathetic threats. "You'll do what?"

Hinata shook her head violently, tears spilling down her face and her quaking, fearful voice muffled. Itachi laughed quietly as he tore off the rest of the clothing, leaving her completely naked, and wrapped her pale legs around his waist.

"After tonight, I can assure you that you will want to stay with me forever."

Hinata screamed into his hand as his other traced down her navel and between her thighs. She tried kicking, punching, and shrieking some more, but her violent actions were stopped when Itachi grinned and she felt pain like she had never felt before between her legs. More hot tears poured down her face, and she could barely breathe. This pain…this man…completely, utterly heinous.

'Sasuke…'

Hinata's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted.


End file.
